CAPTURE Your Operation’s Full Potential During Heat Stress
Posted: July 25, 2018 | Written By: Edan Lambert, Form-A-Feed Nutrition and Production Specialist
Have you ever heard the saying “sweat like a pig?” I’m sure you have! The ironic thing is…pigs don’t sweat. I know— Earth shattering news. The fact that pigs don’t sweat leads them to be susceptible to heat stress. Heat stress is a commonly used term that becomes a sizzling topic in the livestock industry every year around this time, but more this year than most. With volatile temperatures ranging into the 90’s accompanied by high humidity, pigs and their caretakers are suffering.
It is estimated the impacts of heat stress cost the swine industry $900 million each year! These losses are split evenly between the breeding and wean-to-finish segments of the industry. Heat stress in pigs is estimated at temperatures above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Pig performance, feed intake, and reproductive efficiency all decline above this temperature.
With profitability proving to be elusive this year, it is vital swine producers capture their operation’s full potential. Capture is a stress-reducing feed additive formulated to provide electrolytes, sugars, and other essential nutrients during a market pig’s most stressful days. Formulated with cellular hydration and energy balance concepts in mind, Capture improves feed intake, gain, and conversion efficiency. Capture is designed to be fed 10-30 days prior to market, mainly for pigs who are under the highest level of stress. This can be caused by space limitations, excessive heat, sorting, and transportation. Additionally, it has been shown to reduce transportation shrink and improve carcass yield.
Through numerous trials and field experiences, the Form-A-Feed team has found feeding Capture at the rate of five pounds per ton for the last three to four weeks on feed offers producers the best return on investment. Capture will produce positive results regardless of the season, but a producer’s best ROI (return on investment) will be seen when heat stress is a factor. Producers will see the benefits of feeding Capture through an average increase of three to five pounds of added hot carcass weight through a combination of improvements in live weight gain, carcass yield, and transportation shrink. Capture will even offer a positive ROI with historically low lean hog values.
Instead of “sweating like a pig” let us help you CAPTURE your operations full potential! Contact one of our nutrition and production specialists for more information regarding our field trials and ROI calculator or visit https://formafeed.com/faf-products/capture/ for more details!